THIS THAT THESE THOSE
In English, demonstratives are words that we use to point to objects, people or things in relation to distance. These words help us identify whether something is near or far from us, and whether it is singular (only one) or plural (more than one). The four most common demonstratives in English are: this, that, these and those.
This (este, esta): we use “this” to talk about a thing that is near us and is singular. For example:
This is my book.
This phone is new.
That (ese, esa, aquel, aquella): We use “that” when we want to refer to something that is far away and singular. Examples:
That is your bag.
That car is fast.
These (estos, estas): We use “these” to talk about things near us that are plural. Examples:
These are my friends.
These apples are fresh.
These apples are fresh.
Those (those, those, those, those, those): On the other hand, “those” we use to refer to things that are far away and are plural. Examples:
Those houses are big.
Those shoes are expensive.
How to use them correctly
The correct use of these demonstratives depends on two factors: distance and number (singular or plural). If something is close and it is only one, we use “this”. If it is far away and it is only one, we use “that”. If there are several objects nearby, we use “these”, and if they are far away and there are several of them, we use “those”. These demonstratives can also be used to refer to people or animals, not just objects. For example:
This is my sister.
That is my dog.
